James Harden won the MVP award based off of player votes, but didn’t get the main MVP award as Warriors point guard Stephen Curry beat out Harden and others in MVP voting to win his first MVP.

Harden averaged 27.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 7 assists per game in a total of 81 games played last year, which if you break it down, are better numbers than what Curry posted. That’s part of the reason Harden believes he deserved the award.

“There’s so many factors. I led the league in total points scored, minutes played. Like I said, I’m not taking anything away from Steph, but I felt I deserved the Most Valuable Player. That stays with me.”

Harden also talked about how the Rockets haven’t reached their peak yet, especially with new addition Ty Lawson, and he also called himself the best player in the league like many others have recently.

“I am the best player in the league. I believe that,” Harden said. “I thought I was last year, too.”

Going back onto the MVP award, Harden elaborated more on why he believed he was the MVP, while crediting Curry and the Warriors.

“I know I was the MVP,” he said. “That’s 100 percent given all the things that happened last season.

“Credit the Golden State Warriors for an unbelievable year. They had an unbelievable team, coaching staff, everything.

“But that award means most valuable to your team. We finished second in the West, which nobody thought we were going to do at the beginning of the year even when everybody was healthy. We were near the top in having the most injuries. We won our division in a division where every single team made the playoffs.

Harden is projected to have a better year with a better point guard and Dwight Howard full healthy this time around. He could be on the horizon to get his wish this time around.

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